Jerry West on DeAndre Jordan: “I’m just not really sure about him”

The Warriors on Sunday used the amnesty provision on reserve guard Charlie Bell, a $4.1 million salary-cap trimming that allowed them to sign a four-year, $43 million offer sheet with restricted free-agent center DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers are expected to match the offer for the 6-foot-11, 265-pound 23-year-old, but it sounds like that is OK with Warriors executive board member Jerry West.

“He’s a young, active player who is probably coming into his own,” West said. “Those are the kinds of players who people are willing to take chances on in terms of paying a lot of money. At the end of the day, you have to find out what’s in store for anyone. I’m just not really sure about him.”

The Clippers have been sitting on a five-year, $40 million offer to Jordan. They have three days to decide if they want to match the Warriors’ bid.

The Warriors lost out on top free-agent center Tyson Chandler, who signed with the New York Knicks, before going after Jordan. If they swing and miss again, they might be stuck looking for a one-year stopgap behind starter Andris Biedrins.

“It’s obvious that they need a low-post defender to help who they have, somebody who’s big and long and takes up a lot of space. But at what price?” West said. “I would never recommend or even consider signing someone unless it was just going to be a one-year fix for you. It gives the coach another piece of the puzzle. To me, everything has to play out, and, by Wednesday, we’ll know where things are. Then, you go to Plan B.”

Here’s the rest of the interview with West:

Are the Warriors struggling in free agency?: Well, there are a lot of teams that are struggling while trying to do things. It’s always difficult to make trades or acquire players. With all of the things going on with the lockout, about the only thing you could do was communicate with other teams. At the end of the day, there has been a significant effort made up here. Hopefully, something will come out of it. If not, you’re still going to be in a position at some point. People are going to get disappointed in their teams. There are teams on the rise and teams that are fading a little bit. There are going to be trade opportunities out there in the future. There are some wonderful young pieces here. Being here and watching practice, I’m really impressed. The coaching staff did a heck of a job, and the players look like they really like each other. I think there is a bright future here, but they do need help.

How important is it to not panic?: Every time you make a trade, somebody is going to be elated and somebody is going to be disappointed – fans, players, agents, whoever. I think from the overall perspective, you have to look at your team as a team, and you have to figure out what you’re missing and how you’re going to improve. If we make a trade or sign a free agent is that going to help us? I think Bob (Myers), Larry (Riley), Joe (Lacob) and all the people involved are certainly not lacking effort. They’ve put a lot of thought into what they’re trying to accomplish. We’ll hopeful something good will happen.

How confident are you that roster improvements can be made before Christmas?: Looking at this team, which has so many young players, its still developing. I always think it’s a mistake to give up your best players unless you’re getting something really good in return. You have to get someone at at least the same level or who provides something totally different than what your players are doing. I wouldn’t be afraid to start the season with the team they have here. The fortunes of teams rise and fall. If you look at the teams in the Western Conference, I think there are teams that are declining. If you can keep your core players together and still have cap space, you never know what might happen during the course of the season or even before the start of the season.

Has this free-agency period gone as you expected?: I haven’t seen anyone really go anywhere yet. I think Tyson Chandler is supposed to end up in New York, but I don’t know if it’s happened yet. Chris Paul, he’s going everywhere, but mainly three teams. It’s amazing the number of players who have mentioned in terms of going to another team. But, look at a team like Boston. It has six veteran players, and that’s it. They’ve got a lot of work to do, but you have to worry about your own franchise. You can’t worry about what the other teams are doing. You try to do what’s best for your franchise, your fans and particularly for the ownership.

How fluid is the timeline with transactions?: I think every team has a wish, almost like a Christmas wish list. In reality, a lot of teams would like to have those same players, and their teams might not want to trade them. Players today have so much more control in dictating where they want to go, but most of the big-market teams are over the cap and have trade something. Even though you want something, you have to be patient enough to try a different approach or another time in the season. This has been a very hurried process for the Warriors’ staff.

Are there players you covet?: When you have a good team, the most important thing is to find guys who complement the players you have. One good piece, one player who can play his role can make the other players better. You’re not asking the best players to do everything for you. One great role player can make a significant difference for a team, and particularly when you have players who are young and have some ability to get better. Fans are always impatient, and, trust me, ownership is just as impatient.

Is it time to look at signing role players?: That’s a task too, because they’re on other teams’ wish lists. You have to make a franchise so attractive in terms of what you’re presenting to a player and what you’re going to present in the future. That’s why I think ownership is very, very important. Players have to understand that this is going to be a great place to play. People think a player will look at franchises that have had great success and say they want to go there because they’ve had great success. That doesn’t happen, because teams rise and fall. Ultimately, it’s who owns the team that really matters.

What is Monta Ellis’ next step as a player?: He’s a terrific player. The thing I love about him is that he really competes. He’s not afraid. He really competes. He loves to compete. The backcourt they have here is terrific. Do they complement each other? I think they do. They’ve done a terrific job. There was so much controversy about I don’t want to play with this guy or that guy. I see them out here now, and they look like best of friends. I was very impressed with everyone sharing the ball out here today. That says a lot of the players and says a lot for the coaching staff and what they’re trying to accomplish.